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- Land use (6)
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Articles 1 - 22 of 22
Full-Text Articles in Law
Getting The Green Light: Renewable Energy As An Internal Tribal Matter, J. Shinay
Getting The Green Light: Renewable Energy As An Internal Tribal Matter, J. Shinay
Maine Law Review
For over forty years the Wabanaki people of Maine have had their sovereignty diminished as a result of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act (MICSA), an arrangement with the state and federal government unlike any other tribal sovereignty arrangement in the Unites States. The MICSA was born from a decades-long debate over land rights and resource rights in Maine, culminating in a “compromise” that avoided political conflict at the expense of Wabanaki sovereignty. Under the MICSA, the Wabanaki do not have sovereign status, instead only holding sovereign control over those matters the state deems “internal tribal matters.” Among the many …
Our Biggest Fans: Nuisance Immunity For Grid-Scale Wind Energy Projects In Maine, Andrew D. Hersom
Our Biggest Fans: Nuisance Immunity For Grid-Scale Wind Energy Projects In Maine, Andrew D. Hersom
Maine Law Review
Global climate change and its attendant impacts threaten to change life on Earth as we know it. The sea level rise that comes with rising temperatures is an issue of particular importance to coastal states like Maine. Thankfully, continued investment in renewable energy technology is beginning to make certain renewable energy sources competitive with their nonrenewable counterparts. This Comment highlights wind energy as a particularly effective option for meeting Maine’s energy needs while significantly reducing the harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Despite its many benefits, wind energy technology still has its detractors. Wind energy projects (especially …
Rising To The Challenge: Managed Retreat And The Taking Clause In Maine's Climate Change Era, Maye C. Emlein
Rising To The Challenge: Managed Retreat And The Taking Clause In Maine's Climate Change Era, Maye C. Emlein
Maine Law Review
It is a near scientific certainty that sea levels will rise between one and eight feet by the end of the century. This will wreak havoc on our infrastructure, ecology, and public health, and cause an unquantifiable amount of economic damage. Given the inevitability of sea level rise, state and local governments must facilitate the managed retreat of people and property away from vulnerable coastal areas. However, governments’ ability to facilitate managed retreat comes head-to-head with the Takings Clauses of the United States and Maine Constitutions, which state that the government may not take private property without paying just compensation. …
Fee Shifting: A Proposal To Solve Maine’S Intractable Access To Justice Problem, Donald F. Fontaine
Fee Shifting: A Proposal To Solve Maine’S Intractable Access To Justice Problem, Donald F. Fontaine
Maine Law Review
The Maine Legislature should enact a new statute to award attorney’s fees in civil cases to poor litigants against their opponents. Under the proposed statute the opponent must be a corporation or other legal entity and the poor litigant must be the prevailing party in the case. The statute proposed is needed because multiple studies show that there has been an unrelenting decline during the last four decades of the poor’s access to justice. Their numbers increase and the support of the federal government declines. For those who find themselves in legal positions opposing the poor, there is little deterrent …
Taking It Too Far: Growth Management And The Limits To Land-Use Regulation In Maine, Michael A. Duddy
Taking It Too Far: Growth Management And The Limits To Land-Use Regulation In Maine, Michael A. Duddy
Maine Law Review
In 1989 Maine enacted the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act. The Act's legislative findings declared that “ the State has a vital interest in ensuring that a comprehensive system of land-use planning and growth management is established as quickly as possible.” However, whenever the state exercises its police power to regulate private land use, it faces a constitutional limit as to how far it can go. When the land-use restriction exceeds that limit, a regulatory taking occurs. This Comment argues that the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act, as it is being interpreted and implemented by state …
Taking It Too Far: Growth Management And The Limits To Land-Use Regulation In Maine, Michael A. Duddy
Taking It Too Far: Growth Management And The Limits To Land-Use Regulation In Maine, Michael A. Duddy
Maine Law Review
In 1989 Maine enacted the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act. The Act's legislative findings declared that “ the State has a vital interest in ensuring that a comprehensive system of land-use planning and growth management is established as quickly as possible.” However, whenever the state exercises its police power to regulate private land use, it faces a constitutional limit as to how far it can go. When the land-use restriction exceeds that limit, a regulatory taking occurs. This Comment argues that the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act, as it is being interpreted and implemented by state …
Conservation, Regionality, And The Farm Bill, Jess R. Phelps
Conservation, Regionality, And The Farm Bill, Jess R. Phelps
Maine Law Review
Over the past several Farm Bills, there has been a somewhat subtle shift in program design to better incorporate regional perspectives/localized areas of conservation concern into national conservation program delivery. The purpose of this Article is to specifically explore the various roles that regional considerations play in existing Farm Bill conservation programs and also consider whether further developments in this direction could result in more flexible program delivery, more effective partnerships, and ultimately, better conservation outcomes. To this end, section II will provide an overview of the history of the Farm Bill, from its origins to the emergence of a …
Conserving A Vision: Acadia, Katahdin, And The Pathway From Private Lands To Park Lands, Sean Flaherty, Anthony L. Moffa
Conserving A Vision: Acadia, Katahdin, And The Pathway From Private Lands To Park Lands, Sean Flaherty, Anthony L. Moffa
Maine Law Review
Although a century separates the official designations, the strategies required to ensure federal protection of Maine’s two National Park Service areas—Acadia National Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument—closely track one another. In both cases, a handful of enterprising conservationists shared the vision for conservation. Both areas depended on the private acquisition, and donation, of title to the numerous parcels that comprised them before the land could garner federal protection. Politics in the early 20th and 21st centuries had to be overcome. This work tells the stories in parallel, highlighting and analyzing four strands of similarity to not only …
Florida Rock Industries, Inc. V. United States: Tipping The Scales In Favor Of Private Property Rights At The Public's Expense, Susan E. Spokes University Of Maine School Of Law
Florida Rock Industries, Inc. V. United States: Tipping The Scales In Favor Of Private Property Rights At The Public's Expense, Susan E. Spokes University Of Maine School Of Law
Maine Law Review
In Florida Rock Industries, Inc. v. United States the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that the denial of a federal wetlands permit under section 1344 of the Clean Water Act may constitute a compensable taking of private property under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The court remanded the case to the Federal Court of Claims to determine the value of the property remaining after the permit denial, while warning the trial court that the existing record did not support a finding of the loss of all economically viable use of the property. The Federal …
The Long-Standing Requirement That Delegations Of Land Use Control Power Contain "Meaningful" Standards To Restrain And Guide Decision-Makers Should Not Be Weakened, Orlando E. Delogu, Susan E. Spokes
The Long-Standing Requirement That Delegations Of Land Use Control Power Contain "Meaningful" Standards To Restrain And Guide Decision-Makers Should Not Be Weakened, Orlando E. Delogu, Susan E. Spokes
Maine Law Review
Some forty years ago, a leading land use scholar noted that “it has always been recognized that it is an essential part of the judicial function to watch over the parochial and exclusionist attitudes and policies of local governments, and to see to it that these do not run counter to national policy and the general welfare.” Maine courts by and large have discharged this judicial function by consistently striking down unauthorized and overreaching local governmental land use decisions. Several recent cases, however, cast doubt on the Law Court's continuing commitment to guard against the parochial instincts of local land …
Maine Roads And Easements, Knud E. Hermansen, Donald R. Richards
Maine Roads And Easements, Knud E. Hermansen, Donald R. Richards
Maine Law Review
Black's Law Dictionary defines an easement as a right of use over the property of another. An easement is a right in the owner of one parcel of land, by reason of such ownership, to use the land of another for a special purpose not inconsistent with a general property right in the owner. It is an interest that one person has in the land of another. A primary characteristic of an easement, that its burden falls upon the possessor of the land from which it issued, is expressed in the statement that the land constitutes a servient estate or …
O'Donovan V. Mcintosh: Changing The Contours Of Maine's Easement Law, Michael J. Polak
O'Donovan V. Mcintosh: Changing The Contours Of Maine's Easement Law, Michael J. Polak
Maine Law Review
In O'Donovan v. McIntosh, a real estate developer, Timothy O'Donovan, brought an action seeking, in part, a declaratory judgment concerning the transferability of an easement that he purchased from the defendant, John A. McIntosh, Jr. O'Donovan and McIntosh subsequently filed a joint motion for partial summary judgment to obtain a ruling that would affirm the assignability of the easement in question. Susan Huggins, the owner of the servient estate upon which the easement in question imposed, objected to this motion as a third party defendant. She filed a cross-motion for summary judgment maintaining that the easement in question was not …
Tax Increment Financing In Maine, Michael G. Walker
Tax Increment Financing In Maine, Michael G. Walker
Maine Law Review
Tax Increment Financing ("TIF") is a statutorily authorized mechanism which enables municipalities to earmark the property tax revenue from designated areas to pay for things such as infrastructure improvement. Lately, Maine municipalities have been using TIF to refund tax revenues directly to private developers in an effort to attract new business. This Comment will begin by briefly explaining the development of TIF in the United States and how it has evolved over time. It will then summarize how TIF works in Maine and the criticism and praise it has received throughout its existence. Next, it will look at research examining …
Some Model Amendments To Maine (And Other States') Land Use Control Legislation, Orlando E. Delogu, Sam Merrill, Philip R. Saucier
Some Model Amendments To Maine (And Other States') Land Use Control Legislation, Orlando E. Delogu, Sam Merrill, Philip R. Saucier
Maine Law Review
This model legislation consisting of ten separate provisions is intended to clarify and/or expand existing Maine law dealing with planning and land use regulation. It expands existing statutes by addressing a number of issues not presently covered by law. The overarching purpose of the proposed legislation is to underscore that planning and the imposition of land use regulations is not exclusively the responsibility of local governments but instead is a shared duty of the state and local governments. This is clearly stated in the text and commentary of Provision I, and is a theme that pervades all ten legislative proposals. …
Will Bell V. Town Of Wells Be Eroded With Time?, Sidney St. F. Thaxter
Will Bell V. Town Of Wells Be Eroded With Time?, Sidney St. F. Thaxter
Maine Law Review
In 1989, the Maine Law Court issued a landmark decision regarding the ownership of the land between the mean high-water mark and the mean low-water mark (the intertidal zone) in a case entitled Bell v. Town of Wells.1 This decision was controlled, in part, by the 1986 decision in the same case. Bell I was decided following an appeal by the plaintiff-landowners from the lower court decision dismissing Counts I and II of their Complaint as “barred by sovereign immunity.” The lower court found that “the State has an interest in Moody Beach and in that sense it has title,” …
Striking An Equitable Balance: Placing Reasonable Limits On Retroactive Zoning Changes After Kittery Retail Ventures, Llc V. Town Of Kittery, Heather B. Sanborn
Striking An Equitable Balance: Placing Reasonable Limits On Retroactive Zoning Changes After Kittery Retail Ventures, Llc V. Town Of Kittery, Heather B. Sanborn
Maine Law Review
Thirty years ago, a developer who wanted to build a shopping center had to do little more than obtain a building permit to go forward with the project. Today, however, the regulation and review of development projects involves a lengthy process of securing a series of permits, often including site plan or subdivision approvals, traffic studies, and environmental impact reviews. Navigating this review process forces developers to negotiate with the community and design their projects to fit the applicable standards adopted by the local, state, and federal regulations, arguably improving the quality of development in our communities. But the lengthy …
Not Losing The Forest For The Trees: Distinguishing Conservation Transfer Fees From Other Private Transfer Fees, Frank C. Aiello
Not Losing The Forest For The Trees: Distinguishing Conservation Transfer Fees From Other Private Transfer Fees, Frank C. Aiello
Maine Law Review
Private transfer fee covenants against real property are increasingly under fire from Congress, federal regulators, and state legislatures. This fire has been fueled by strong advocacy from the National Association of Realtors. It will only be a matter of time before private transfer fees will also be challenged in state courts as not meeting the common law requirements for a servitude. As these bodies take aim at the private transfer fee, they literally must not lose sight of the forest for the trees. A private transfer fee that benefits conservation and environmental stewardship is consistent with the traditional use of …
Urban Development Legislation For Cities, By Cities, Kellen Zale
Urban Development Legislation For Cities, By Cities, Kellen Zale
Maine Law Review
Thank you so much for inviting me to speak as part of this symposium. It is a great honor to be here in the company of such distinguished speakers to learn about the impressive legacy of Senator Muskie. My presentation today connects the legacy of Senator Muskie, and specifically, his work on urban development and Model Cities, to contemporary urban development legislation. Thus, this presentation picks up where my co-panelist, Don Nicoll, left off, by considering how the Model Cities legacy is both a foundation of and a counterpoint to contemporary urban development policies and programs. While urban development legislation …
Model Cities, Senator Muskie And Creative Federalism, Donald E. Nicoll
Model Cities, Senator Muskie And Creative Federalism, Donald E. Nicoll
Maine Law Review
The odd couple partnership of Senator Edmund S. Muskie and President Lyndon B. Johnson in the passage of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 is a story with several subplots and insights into their different approaches to the art of democratic governance. For Senator Muskie, the president’s proposal was based on valid concepts, but he doubted the legislation’s viability in the Senate and he had serious reservations about its timeliness and capacity to address the problems the legislation was supposed to solve. The President was determined that the ambitious initiative, developed by a secret task force he …
Edmund Muskie's Creative Federalism And Urban Development Today, Peter Pitegoff
Edmund Muskie's Creative Federalism And Urban Development Today, Peter Pitegoff
Maine Law Review
How fitting it is to view urban development policy today with reference to Edmund Muskie and his role as U.S. Senator from Maine in the 1966 enactment of the Model Cities Program. The University of Maine School of Law is honored that the Maine Law Review 2014 symposium is part of this centennial celebration of Ed Muskie’s life and work. His wide-ranging career brought Muskie from Maine—where he served as state legislator and Governor—to national and global affairs as Senator, Secretary of State, and Vice Presidential nominee, and in other prominent leadership roles. We are fortunate to welcome Don Nicoll …
Maine's Open Lands: Public Use Of Private Land, The Right To Roam And The Right To Exclude, Peter H. Kenlan
Maine's Open Lands: Public Use Of Private Land, The Right To Roam And The Right To Exclude, Peter H. Kenlan
Maine Law Review
On a late summer afternoon, a boy pilots a small boat toward a deserted beach while another crouches in the bow with an anchor poised and ready. As the boat gently scrapes to a halt, the anchor lands in the wet sand with a dull thud and the two boys splash ashore. Equipped only with peanut butter sandwiches, they set off along the beach looking for tide pools. Behind them, they leave only a few ephemeral footprints--readily erased by the waves. On a bright and clear February morning, a man rides his snowmobile along a well-traveled trail. The scenery flashes …
Lotting Large: The Phenomenon Of Minimum Lot Size Laws, Paul Boudreaux
Lotting Large: The Phenomenon Of Minimum Lot Size Laws, Paul Boudreaux
Maine Law Review
A dominant feature of American metropolitan areas is large lot zoning—the policy through which only house lots of a minimum size are permitted. This practice of "lotting large" contributes greatly to the sprawling nature of American suburbs. By restraining the supply of housing, large lot zoning laws please existing suburban homeowners. But they harm all other segments of the American populace, including the million new households who seek a home in the United States each year. This article explains how courts have been unwilling or unable to impose any meaningful restraints on local governments. It develops a simple economic model …